Epilogue

 

Six months later…

The weather had turned colder. The brilliance of autumn was fading, but the mountains were still awash with color. The tinted floor to glass panels between thick columns overlooked it all, from stunning sunrises on the east to the spectacular sunsets on the west.

Sam walked around the space with a critical eye, adjusting a plant here, straightening a salt shaker there. The décor was open and airy, comfortable but not overdone. Tables were easily moveable to accommodate single guests or bigger groups.

Steve slipped his arms around her waist. “Stop worrying. It looks amazing.”

She leaned back into his hard body, welcoming the rush of warmth she always felt when he held her like this.

It had been six months since she had moved out here with him, and each day was better than the last. It hadn’t all been easy, though. They had worked long and hard alongside the other members of the team to get things ready for their first guests.

As promised, Church had given Sam free rein over the kitchens and common dining space. The result was an operation capable of turning out top-quality meals in a comfortable, relaxed setting.

She turned in his arms. “I hope so.” The first guests were due to arrive tomorrow.

“They’ll love it,” he said with enough confidence that she almost believed it. “But there’s something we have to take care of before they arrive.”

“Oh?” she asked, her mind desperately searching for what she might have forgotten. The freezers were stocked, the simple menu planned. Dishware, glassware, silverware, condiments. Inspections had been passed, permits and licenses obtained and approved. “What are we missing?”

“This,” he said, going down on one knee and holding out a small, velvet box. “I love you, Samantha Appelhoff, and I want this package deal to be permanent. Marry me, Sam.”

Sam brought both hands up to her mouth. She looked down at the man before her on bended knee, the man she had come to need more than her next breath. The one looking back at her with pure love in his eyes, the one who had always believed in her.

“Yes.”

He grinned as he slipped the ring onto her finger, then stood up and pulled her into one of those soul-searing, branding kisses she had become addicted to.

“Looks like she said yes,” she heard Doc say.

“Thank God,” Mad Dog said with feeling.

“About damn time he got around to it.” That was from Cage.

“If you two want to move right into the celebratory engagement sex, go right ahead,” Heff said, pulling out a chair at the table next to them. “Don’t mind us. Oh, look, champagne. Church, where’d you put those glasses?”

Steve reluctantly broke their kiss and sighed. “So much for our moment.”

Sam laughed softly. “Our moment was perfect,” she told him.

Here, in the arms of the man she loved, surrounded by her new family, she couldn’t imagine anything better.

“Here,” Church said, holding out an envelope to her.

“What’s this?”

“Good wishes from Tex and Melody on the official opening.”

“Tex and Melody?” Sam mused, extracting the card. “Do I know them?”

“No, but they know you. Tex was the one who helped us out last spring.”

Sam didn’t have to ask what Church was talking about. She knew Cage had been dealing with someone with extraordinary clearance and data mining skills. Now she had a name to add to her list of nightly whispered thank-yous.

“He sent those, too.”

Sam looked over at the massive crate Church pointed to near the general service and delivery entrance. It had arrived earlier that afternoon, but since it was addressed to Church, she hadn’t opened it.

“What are they?”

He grinned. “See for yourself.”

With Steve by her side, she walked over and lifted up the lid.

“Fire extinguishers?” she asked.

“Yep,” Church said with a wry grin. “Four dozen of them, all kinds, everything from kitchen to electric fires. He’s already hooked us up with the latest in digital fire and smoke detectors, too.”

“Warped sense of humor, or genuine concern?”

“Probably a little of both.”

“Fits right in, then.”

“He and his will always have a place here should they needed it,” Church agreed.

Sam accepted the glass of champagne and raised her hand in toast with the others.

“To family,” Church said.

“To friends,” Steve added.

“To us,” Sam said, looking at each and every one of them. At the man she loved, now her fiancé. At these strong, good-hearted men who had become like brothers. It was amazing what they had accomplished together, and the future held unlimited promise. “To all of us.”